In summer it is essential to stay hydrated… but not with sea water! What happens if you (accidentally) drink this water? Here is the truth.
There’s nothing better than a dip in the sea when it’s warm. It can often happen, especially to children, that in the euphoria of the moment swallow a lot of sea water. This, in addition to having a “disgusting” taste, it is also bad for our body.
Oh yes, because we men are used to drinking fresh water, the best for us to guarantee the functionality of our body. Let’s see then what happens to our body when we accidentally drink sea water.
Did you by any chance drink sea water? Here’s what happens to your body
L’sea water it is not refreshing like the sweet one, but above all it is not hydrating. In fact, it has the opposite effect.
What happens to the body when you accidentally drink salt water? – tantasalute.it
According to numerous studies, drinking seawater causes dehydration. This is precisely due to the high concentration of mineral salts it contains, i.e. 35 grams per litre. Compare with fresh water from a river, it is 10 times more. The high amount of mineral salts it contains involves breaking the delicate balance between salts and water that is present in our body: the osmotic one.
According to this balance, if within the cells of our body there is a higher concentration of salt than in the plasma, then the water in the plasma will penetrate the cells until the balance is restored. Instead, if the amount of salt is greater in the plasma, then the cells will empty themselves of water to give it to the plasma. In short, the osmotic balance must in any case be re-established because it is a necessary condition for the proper functioning of our body.
This delicate balance makes us understand what a serious consequence we run when we drink, even if only by mistake, sea water: this it is very salty, therefore the cells will find themselves forced to empty themselves of the water they contain in order to transfer it to the plasma. In this way the cells atrophy and the organism undergoes one severe dehydration leading to a state of toxicosis.
The consequences are truly dramatic because, if by chance you swallow salt water instead of fresh water, you may run into renal dysfunctions, even very serious, which unfortunately can lead to death. So when you go to the beach it’s better to just dive and play in the water, get a tan and build sand castles, rather than experience the thrill of drinking salt water which, as we have seen, can be very dangerous.